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8 Overlooked Concert Films

Shut Up and Play the Hits, the much-discussed documentary film about LCD Soundsystem’s last-ever show at Madison Square Garden (it was rad, remember?), debuted at special events around the country this week. It’s the more-tasteful, art-house counterpoint to recent big 3D spectacles from Katy Perry and Justin Bieber suggesting that the concert film might be making an improbable comeback in the age of shaky camera phone documentation of every show, ever. And whenever a prominent newbie like Shut Up tries to crack the shortlist of the all-time concert film greats, those greats get mentioned in quick, repetitive shorthand that’s something like: Last Waltz for cinematic grandeur, Stop Making Sense for high concept and execution, Woodstock for cultural gravitas, Gimme Shelter for dark and serious journalism, Song Remains the Same for classic rock excess, and, maybe, Madonna: Truth or Dare for salacious pop iconography. But those are just the tip of the iceberg, obviously. Below are clips from a wider pool of concert films from last 50 years or so.